Apparatus for disintegrating seeds



Feb. 27, 1923.

A. SCHMIDT. APPARATUS FOR DISINTEGRATING SEEDS.

Arme/V476* .the btom Prfebly 'the lowest .and narjfr Patented Feb. 27, 1923.

APPARATUS FOB, DISINTEGRATING- SEEDS.

Application led November 17, 1921, Serial No. 516,003.

To all wiofmt may cof/werfe.'

Be it known vthat I, ADoLr SCHMIDT, a citizen oit the Free State ot Prussia, in the German Republic, residing at Tegel, near Berlin, Germany, have invented Improvements in Apparatus for Disintegrat` ing Seeds (or which I have filed applications in Germany Sept. 30, 1920, and J anuary 14, 1921); and I -do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact dcscription of the same.

This invention relates to an improved apparatus or devicev for kd'isintegrating or rough grinding corn, lbeans peas and other cereals comprising three grooved working members whereof two are stationary and the third one is disposed to reciprocate between the said two stationary members.

Generally speaking disintegrators oi' the above kind are old. It, thereiore, is to be understood that the invention does not reside in the general 'arrangement 'of the working members as above stated, but rather consists'in a particular construction and arrangement of said members for the purpose of improving the eiciency of the apparatus.

According to this invention the three .members of the grinding element consist each of a preferably rectangular plate vertically positionedin a casing of appropriate construction and provided with vertical parallel groovesextending across the full width of the plate from top to bottom. The two lateral plates have grooves of the said `kind on their inner faces only whereas the third or intermediate plateis .provided with grooveson both sides. 'It' goes with-y out saying .that vertical parallel grooves involve corresponding teeth or cutting ribs constituted by the` edges of said grooves and that, in case of combining a plurality of such'elements to forma larger apparatus or machine,VV all of the paralleh. vertical grinding plates may be lprovided with rooves on both sides with the Aexception of t e two extreme plates which are groovedr on their inner sides only.

In distinction' from the prior art thev grooves are, according to this invention, of gradually or stepwise decreasing width so that the upper parts of lthe grooves are broadest and-the width diminishes towards rowest` step of the grooves may be divided to produce at the bottom thereof a plurality of divisional grooves of a. still less diameter;` 'A s regards the shape of the grooves a semicircular cross-section is to be preferred so that at each reciprocationfof the iinter# vening or movable plates the'grooves there-` of which are broughtin registeringopposiJ tion Vto the grooves ofthe stationaryplates, constitute in such' .registering position grooves of cylindrical shape ori'circular cross-section.k To divide the klower-steps of the grooves parallel vertical ribs may be provided therein.

' Further according ,to this.,.invention a means may be provided for altering the size of the crushed or disintegratedparticles of the cereals. Itis to be`noted thatthe seeds to be crushed passon their .wayrdown'- wards the several` steps of thegroovesofA de creasing diameter, so that the size of the particles dropping from the rapparatus f. is determined by the diameter of the lowermost step. Now the grinding membersfmaybe soidisposed and arranged thateither the station- Vary membersor the reciprocatingv member or members can be displacedaml.` adjusted in vertical direction with relationto eachother whereby the-'lowermost step jor steps are rendered idle or. inactive and-a crushedI material of correspondingly. lcoarser, quality is obtained.' f

In order that' the ivsaidz; may be clearly understood and; `readily` lca ,rried "into eii'ect, it will now. .be sdescribedv more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in `which Figure 1 is avertical sec vtion kof a disintegrating apparatushaving butr a single crushingt element comprising. three co-operating;l grinding plates,s

yFigure 2 `is a plan view of vthesamerfand Figurev 3 is a sectional view takenfon'the line 15e-Act Fi .urelV v 1; p

v It is to be un erstoodg-ftliat the drawings illustrate by lway of exampleone. .embodiment of the invention only., t the details of construction of ,which the invention isv not limited, however, "it being` obviousthat bt'V employing any desired, preferably'flodd member of rindingfplatesfa, machine o larger ,capacity and adapted.toria` lpower 10B drive Derbeiotieieslrithet .thereby de y to' :and bottoni. thetlarine toi ooenine' al `serving for the introduction of the steer to .be crushed and the 1bottoni opening u? for -the Adelivery of the crushed -niateriah Thetwo grooved yplates Z) and c are stationary within the 'ca-sine, but they may be -removable therefrom and, it desi-red. adjustable in vertical direction with relation tothe third lplate (Z interposeiil between the :two plates?) and c to co-operate therewith.

Asfhereinliefore stated, the displacement of the-two plates l) and c affords a nieans for regulating the apparatus to obtain a product of finer or coarser quality as vde sired of course. -in lieu of the two plates Z) Y ando also the third plate l inaybe niade to be adjustable in vertical direction with relation to the plat-es ZJ and c and the very sanie result will be yachieved thereby.

The plate v(Z is likewise of steel or frastiron and has `vertical grooves 7" on both sides or `faces to co-oper'ate with the grooves of lthe two stationary vplates respectively. To

this end the plate (Z is elongated and the elongated ends (Z1 and F project from the casing through vertical slots au? and or* in the latter. The end cl2 of 'the plate l is pic vvided with a slot h for the reception of a vcrank pin g on a suitably, journalled shaft elhaving a drivingcrank el and a handle e2.

The co-operating faces of the three plates b, c and (Z are lgrooved yvertically as labove. stated, and the grooves f, preferably, have a seinic'ircu-lar ycross-sectional area, so thatwhen they coincide oi' register7 which occurs twice at each reciprocation of the :driven `plate (l, they 'afford tubular or cyliudrical receptacles for the seeds to 'be roughygrou-nd. The grooves y, however, are not of the saine size or diameter all through out,l but theyiarev stepped andthe successive steps f1'. f2 though of cylindrical contour, have a smaller diameter, so that the uppermost step has lthey largest size, say a ldiaine- Yter of about one half of an inch, and the ylowerrnost step 7c2 :has the smallest diameter. The bott-in ends of the grooves ina-y be `subdivided by means of' fine ribs f3 to obtain a further step of a still further rel duced diameter. ln operation the seeds 'to be crushed are intrcdu'cedin the opening a1 to enter the i@ ina-aces uppermost step of the grooves j" where they are, through the tearing or crushing action of the edges of the grooves due to the reciprocatory movement of the plate d, disintegrated so far thatthey .canaenter the next step f1 of the grooves and so on until they drop. froin the lowerinost step through the bottoni opening a2 in a nely disintegrated condition. V As hereinbefore stated7 either the reciprocating plate Z or the two stationary plates b and c may be arranged in a inaiiner to allow of an adjustment in vertical direction for the purpose of rendering one or several steps of the grooves idle or inactive land thereby obtaining a crushed product of coi respondingly coarser quality, if desired.

ns shown the two plates@ and c are ad-v justable so that the lowerniost step fglor several lower steps can be put out of action and the seeds liavingipassed through the upper steps only7 are delivered through the opening 0.2 in a correspondingly coarser state. To this end the two plates vb and c are inounted in the casing so as to be slidable upwards in vertical direction, e. g.7 by ineans of a tongue and groove engagement. F or shifting purposes the plates are provided with a seniicircular extension having or affording a guiding ineans to cooperate with a cain z' of a shaft 7i: duly supported in bearings provided in the wall of the casing (i. The said shaft projects from the casingwall and a crank with a 'handle 'lf2 mounted onthe projecting shaft end. By rotating the said crank 180 .the cani on the shaft is correspondingly turned with the result that both plates Z9 and c are lifted 'to such an extent that the lowerniost step or, as the case may be7 several lower steps of the reciprocating plate Z are broughtout of engagement with the 'corresponding steps of the lateral plates 7) and a andthe crushed corn or other cereal drops `through the delivery opening az in V'a coarser condition than if the disengaged step or steps of the crushing grooves had not been put out of action.

If it is desired to -giv'e the apparatus an arrangement whereby one or two or still more steps can be put out of action at will, the cani or cams inay be so shaped vand ai'- ranged that the plates b and c caribe lifted, stopped and fixed at different height corresponding to the different steps 4to be put out of action.v Thus by lturning the crank handle the 4lowerinos't step f3 in Figure l may be rendered inactive, 4at 90 Vthe steps f3 and f2 may be rendered idle, at 135 the steps f3, f2 and f1 may be put out of action. In each case the crank or the shaft is `to be secured in the position assumed after the partial rotation of the crank handle.

.The mechanism for adjusting the plates for a desired coarsei'iess of the' seeds under by Letters Patent of the United States is l. Apparatus for disintegrating corn and other cereals, comprising a casing, two stationary plates arranged edgewise in said casing and having vertical grooves of stepwise reduced diameters, a third plate intermediate between the said two plates and having vertical grooves of stepwise reduced diameters, means for adjusting the plates vertically relatively to one another, and a means for reciprocating the said third plate. 2. Apparatus for disintegrating corn and other cereals, comprising a casing, two stationary plates arranged edgewise inv said casing and having vertical grooves of stepwise reduced diameters, a third plate located between the said two plates and having vertical grooves of stepwise reduced diameters, and ribs in the lowermostportion of said grooves for dividing said portion of the groves into a plurality of smaller grooves.

3. Apparatus for disii'itegrating corn and other cereals comprising a casing, two stationary plates in said casing having vertical grooves of stepwise reduced diameters and a tongue and groove engagement with the casing for adjustment in vertical direction, a third plate disposed between the said two plates andy having vertical grooves of stepwise reduced diameters, a cam shaft for lift'- ing the said two plates, anda means for re-k ciprocating the said third plate.

4. Apparatus for disintegrating corn and other cereals, comprising a casing open at top and bottom, and having slots in opposite sides, twoi stationary plates arranged endwise in said casing and having vertical grooves of semicylindrical shape and of stepwise reduced diameters, a third plate.' disposed between the said tWo platesv and having vertical grooves of semicylindricalv shape and of stepwise reduced diameters,

said third plate projectingthrough the slots of the casing and having aslot in one proj ect? ing end, means fory adjusting the stationary plates vertically, anda means engaging in 5. Apparatus for disintegrating corn-and other cereals, comprisingv a casing open at top and bottom and having slots in opposite sides, two stationary plates arranged edge wise in lsaid casing and khaving lvertical grooves ofl semicylindrioal shape and.. of

stepwise reduced diameters, a vthird plate `e5 mounted between the two plates and having vertical grooves ofsemicylindrical shape and of stepwise reduced diameters, said third j y ADoLF soiiMiD'r. f i Witnesses: c i

ERNST LIomiM, FELIX SCHOELER.

i the slot of the third plate for giving the l plate' a reciprocatory movement. l 

